advertisement

Prosecutors: Maple Park man was nearly 3x legal limit in fatal DUI crash

A 40-year-old Maple Park man has been charged with driving while nearly three times over the legal alcohol threshold during a crash that injured him and his sister and killed his brother-in-law.

Sean M. Tardy, of the 5N800 block of Sunset Street, faces felony charges of aggravated DUI causing death and aggravated DUI-third offense. Tardy, who also was issued a traffic ticket for improper lane use, is accused of causing the single-vehicle crash that killed his brother-in-law, David Drewes, 35, of St. Charles.

Tardy was arrested Tuesday after prosecutors approved felony charges in early July.

Kane County sheriff's Lt. Pat Gengler said the 11-month delay from the crash until charges were filed resulted because authorities were awaiting toxicology results from a lab.

According to charging documents, Tardy had a blood-alcohol concentration of .236, which is nearly three times the legal threshold of .08, when he crashed.

According to the sheriff's office, deputies responded to a crash about 2:10 a.m. Aug. 6, 2016, involving a 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan SUV headed east on Route 64 when it drove off the pavement near Fabris Road in Virgil Township.

The driver, authorities said, lost control on a curve, causing the SUV to roll over. Tardy and David Drewes were not wearing seat belts and may have been thrown from the SUV; Kristie Drews, a 36-year-old Maple Park woman who was in the back seat and recently married Tardy, was wearing a seat belt and had minor injuries, authorities said.

If convicted of aggravated DUI, Tardy faces a prison term of 3 to 14 years. Any sentence must be served at 85 percent instead of the 50 percent customary to many crimes in Illinois.

Tardy has two previous DUI arrests, according to court records - in DuPage County in 1999 and May 2, 2002, in Batavia.

Tardy's bail was set at $75,000, and he posted $7,500 Tuesday and was released from jail. His court date was not immediately available.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.